[SRP] A Crown Afire (Ekaterina & Smoke)

[~Latonia de la Courtel~]

& "Smoke" (A Quest Cheshire)

Teepee

 

[~Latonia de la Courtel~]

White stone or gravel under paw, open air interspersed with vine-wrapped trellises or sleek muraled walls, a canopy framed with living flowers or formed of draped silk. Regardless of the location, each of these formerly muted or all-out-silent spaces teemed with life. While normally the gathering throng was moderately subdued, today each hall and grand gathering room teemed with bodies, which frequently spilled over to the gardens and lawns. It seemed there were many new faces attempting to curry favor, many more attempting to catch sight of the royals that stood to one-day inherit, provided they could keep their heads that long. The old favorites stood frigid with judgment, consoling themselves with the thought they held their Queen's favor, as fickle as it may be. (Something he could not quite agree with, but knew far better than to point out.)
To the extreme satisfaction of Her Most Royal Majesty Queen Que Sera Sera Heart of Hearts, her summons had been heeded by most, if not all, of the citizens in the Wonderful Wanderlands. There were envoys from other Courts and Clans, minor royals attempting to gain advantageous marriage, and warriors prepared to offer themselves to the guard. It was these in particular that earned a second, distrustful glance. Drifting through the gardens, throne room, and every palace hall and twisting path between, the Vorpal Blade known simply as Smoke observed the gathering with a mix of satisfaction and trepidation. The muted grays and aquas of his pelt leant him stealth that particularly suited his station, courtesy of his Chess Clan heritage.
Dainty gray paws drifted over the grass like smoke on the wind, his strides fluid and graceful, the daintier blades bandoliered at his withers gleaming. They winked in the waning light, awaiting to be put to use, whereas the Vorpal Sword seemed to absorb light, like the matte stretch of his armor. Mane braided out of his way, fuzzy tail lashing contemplatively, Smoke turned a corner in the garden and hesitated as he found himself at the edge of a very specific corner of the Biting Beds... where the carnivorous plants lurked.
"Princess," He admonished in as steady of a tone as he could manage. "I am quite certain your Lady Mother wishes you to be greeting your guests... and for you to produce your sisters at the earliest possible opportunity. I don't suppose they are here with you?"

Worcount: 400  

[~Latonia de la Courtel~]

Ekaterina Hopscotch was both unsettled and inspired by the teeming mass of bodies that had arrieved to curry the Queen's favor. While she might be the Crown Princess, elected to lead once her mother died or stepped down... The likelihood that the Queen's "favor" would turn, that her temper would rise, that she would declared 'off with her head'... well, it was quite high, if not absolutely guaranteed. Madness teemed with the loss of the Queen's favorite entertainments, her concern about betrayal rising, her need to receive praise and veneration ever increasing.
Katya found herself retreating to the gardens more and more often, gathering her sisters around her, conspiring to run away. Mirror Meadow lay within the Tanglewood, the Lake there would serve her purpose... She could simply fall face-first into the depths and rise in another world, hopefully, a better one. It was just a question of how many of her friends and siblings she could tow along with her. The likelihood of success would rise if she could get a few Guards on her side.
She could not quite believe her fortune when her favorite Vorpal Blade (well, aside from her sister) appeared at her back. Smoke would never set paw among the carnivorous plants of this corner, no one but blooded royals were safe here... But he'd get right to the border, more than the warriors that called him Leader might do.
"Hello Smoke," she greeted with a soft fondness, turning her back on the recently fed blooms and drifting toward the gray-coated stallion that stood watching her with too-bright eyes. "I think you know how I feel about my Lady Mother, and her need to receive praise from the farthest-flung courtiers. As for my sisters... well, do you see any of them here?"
As a matter of fact, Charlbury was coiled in a corner under a hedge, her green coat blending her in easily... And Kittredge was never far, likely sharpening one of her blades in the shadows of the trees beyond their little clearing. But Kitt was late-come to Court, had grown up among the Spades fighting and fierce, which meant she was something of an outsider and treated with caution by all but her sisters. Irina had been eager to step off and made some arrangements, gathering supplies through trade with likely-unsavory characters.
"Last I checked, Oksana and Catriona were circling amongst the crowd, keeping them happy. Aren't two Princesses enough?"

Wordcount: 405  

[~Latonia de la Courtel~]

Smoke did his best to affix a stern and disapproving expression on his face, bright eyes gleaming in his gray face, emphasizing the touch of aqua tones present in his stripes which were somewhat minimal. For her part, the Crown Princess seemed content to merely grin back, her teeth gleaming in the moonlight. He had always felt a certain kinship to Ekaterina, his coat gleaming the shades of her regal stripes, and her restless spirit something similar to his own. They both hid it behind the trappings of court and behavior, he guarding the royals and she being one such royal... But at the end of the day, they also looked at each other with something like friendship. (As much as might be permitted by the court, and perhaps a little more besides. The Queen would never approve.)
"A question that is not an untruth," He admonished lightly. "No, I do not see them, but the fact that you only gave me the faintest of assurance that two of your dear sisters were attending the party makes me think that perhaps you know all of the others are not."
He made a show of scenting the air, tilting his head thoughtfully. "Downwind from the Herb Garden and the Kitchen Gardens... So if any others are in hiding, I have no hope of tracking them. Too clever by half, Crown Princess. So then, I will not bother to interrogate you, for we both know I should at your mother's wishes. I would rather speak to you as casually as friends might, when enjoying the night-drenched silence of the gardens. Tell me then, Katya, where are your kin on this fine evening?"
He tilted his head, shaking his gray forelock out of his eyes as he flexed his toes, claws stroking the thick grass and splitting the bright green blades into five or six sections. The sudden bite of the sweet-sharp scent filled the air as if to emphasize his point, drowning out the cool-light scent of green that already surrounded them. Smoke was almost positive that Charlbury at the least was hidden in the garden, she had never had much interest in the bowing and scraping and nonsense that was the court. And if he knew the sisters, they wouldn't let Katya alone, not where she might run afoul of her mother... Being the favorite also meant she was simultaneously the least favorite, with the Queen's mercurial temper.

Wordcount: 406  

[~Latonia de la Courtel~]

Katya watched the disapproving expression bloom across his face and offered her own slowly widening grin as a reply. Smoke knew her better than most in the herd, and he had always been kind to her. He had also been the first among the guard to reach out to Kittredge, one of the few that greeted a warrior-trained Royal with interest and approval. To this day Katya wondered just how often they drifted off to spark, and who won when that occurred.
"I would never wish to give you an untruth, oh Captain of the Guard," Katya teased in good-natured evasion. "As for the locations that I offered, that was just who I saw last. You and I know as well as any that Oksana is more likely to be found in the rose garden than she is in the ballroom. Has someone gone to seek her there? I would be happy to wait if you wish to investigate."
She made a show of planting her dainty paws, tilting her head, and offering him an innocent widening of eyes. Her very demeanor changing as if to telegraph 'here, I shall stay just like this, see?'. The slicing of his claws brought a burst of grassy brightness to the night air, and she flared her nostrils to drink the pleasing scent with a low hum. "So then, that is three. Charlbury, well, she is wherever games are to be had! Maybe she's playing chase in the ballroom? Kittredge, you would know better than me, wouldn't you? Tell me, Captain, has she defeated you in combat? Is she our new Vorpal Blade? I at least would trust her unreservedly. Surely she would not herd me back to the sharp, waiting claws of the Queen."
Then there was Katya herself, but he surely knew where she was... So then, all that remained was Irina. And Irina? Well, the less said about Irina, the better. Only trouble lay down that path.
"So then, that is the majority of the Princesses, more than any solitary Warrior should hope to find... and quite a pawful besides. Do not tell me you're getting greedy, Captain? There are plenty of Knaves in Court, even now one seems to have successfully bent my mother's ear. I should be happy to keep the reputable Knight we have managed to find, he is far more unusual and entertaining in my eyes."

Wordcount: 400  

[~Latonia de la Courtel~]

"I am sure you would not," Smoke replied neutrally. "But there are many facets to the truth, particularly here in Underland. The gem that we behold is not the one the Queen sees her reflection in. More beside the point, we all serve at the whims of the Queen, and only her wishes seem to matter."
It was as close to dissent as the Captain was willing to stray towards, considering one could not be sure who might overhear. Moments stretched by in silence, and when Smoke drew breath to break it the sudden eruption of slithering vines and gnashing teeth drew their attention toward the sudden activity in the shadowed flowerbed. One of the plants has clearly encroached on the ground of another, and the sound of teeth rending lashing vines is followed by grumbles and hissing. Both cats turned to consider the low-hissing plants but quickly dismissed the scuffle as of minimal interest. Ekaterina considered them with affection, Smoke with some level of trepidation. When no further fighting ensued, he shifted nervously on his paws, considering something, then gave her an earnest look. "Ekaterina..."

"Katya," The Princess admonished with a flash of bright eyes from below the brim of her hat, glancing at their surroundings and then stepping closer. She had to tilt her chin up to keep her gaze fixed on his eyes, he stood significantly taller than her. "We are friends and she is not here, so it is just Katya, Smoke."

"Very well... Katya." He acquiesced, looking down at the more fragile figure. "The Queen? Her temper grows worse by the day. I thought the festivities might raise her spirits and avert an outburst, but it seems that perhaps we shall not be so fortunate. I wonder if perhaps your sisters might be happier elsewhere... With some distance from the Court."
He glanced back toward the Party, pointed ears canting to hear the distant chimes of teacups and cheerful music rolling through the garden. "If you might likewise be happier, wherever that might be."

Katya considered him in silence for several heartbeats, turning things over in her mind before she came to a conclusion that felt immediately obvious. "You're the one that's been working with Irina, on her plan."
Her eyes flashed bright, gone wide with surprise and then immediately narrowing with determination. "Aren't you, Smoke? You're the one my sister has been scheming with."

Wordcount: 400  

[~Latonia de la Courtel~]

"Not important," Smoke shrugged, leaning down to gently brush his cheek against her own. "Irina has ever been her own creature, and at odds with your mother. Surely she will catch the Queen's fury when it finally breaks, I would like to think of you all safe before that happens. Even if Irina is the first target, I worry about your safety with the Queen's temper. You stand to inherit, which means she will consider you as awaiting a chance to supplant her. With your own temper too, considering you are rather likely to get between your sister and danger; if the Queen attacks her, I know you will not stand idly by. Since a great majority of your sisters seem to be out of the public eye, I thought I would bring up my concerns. If it is possible for you to gather those you hold close to your heart, and escape before she manages to hurt you, I think you should take it."

"Take it," Katya echoed, considering him with a somber expression. "You want us to escape to freedom because an opportunity has presented itself... and because you do not trust her to remain stable and kind to us, considering..."

"Considering the Diamond Knave has her ear," Smoke pointed out with a flattening of his ears as he pondered the current players of the Court and his perceptions as to where they stood. "She has her eye on the Diamond courtiers, and her connections to the Spade Clan is most clearly personified in you and your sisters. If you were to disappear, they might look on her with more fondness.... And we all know how she feels about the fondness of the Diamond Clan. Shiny new objects might even distract her from wondering about your disappearance."

"A plan with layers," Katya mused. "You worked with Irina, Irina spoke to me, then her and I managed our sisters in turn... And all of this in reaction to the Queen announcing a grand party?"

"She might have been encouraged to entertain some courtiers and company," Smoke hedged, twitching his tail. The straps securing his blades to his form creaked and sighed, emphasizing his nervous movement. "Even if she has forgotten her previous offers to various Clans and connections, you were my friend when we were young... even if original arrangements between our two families did not hold. I still think of you with fondness now. Can you blame me for wanting to save my friend?"

"No, not in the slightest," Katya promised. "So then, you and this party will be the distraction; and my sisters and I will slip away in the night... And what? I shall just find myself a new life and perhaps, from time to time, think of the good friend who made it all possible?"

"I might be persuaded to follow in your footsteps," Smoke offered with a rakish tilt of his head. "If you promise to leave tonight, and take your sisters with you. If it will encourage you to go to safety, I might be willing to promise that one day you'll see me again; in a new land, living a new life."
Behind them, the party erupted in what sounded like shouts, and above the din cried a voice declaring 'Off With Her Head'!
Katya jumped, stepping back from where she had unintentionally drifted so close to Smoke that they nearly touched. He pivoted around to stand more firmly between her and the party, flattening his ears to his skull.
"Katya," he rumbled with urgency. "Tell me you have things in place and can go now."

"If we must," the Princess replied softly, her eyes fixed toward the party as she waited to see what might come of the order. "If you think it necessary, and we must. Then yes, we had plans to meet in Mirror Meadow... to tread through the lake and see what life we might find on the other side."

"Do that, then. Tonight, now," Smoke turned to her and brushed his chin against her nearest ear, telegraphing affection and urgency. "Take your siblings and go. I will return to the Party and see what I can do to dissuade the Queen from whatever this course of action is. If nothing else, I can assign myself the Meadow and try to buy you some time."

Katya stepped away from him, frowning as she glanced back. "You know, we're no longer betrothed... You don't have to risk yourself to save me."

"You are still my friend," Smoke offered with an affectionate grin. "Your sisters too, though not to the same extent. I would rather know that you are all safe and well, even out of reach, than see some of you here and others dead. Go, Ekaterina, start a new life in a new land... And if fate is kind, we'll meet again one day."

Wordcount: 816  

[~Latonia de la Courtel~]

Smoke gives the Princess a gentle nudge and then turns away, moving swiftly toward the party and doing his best to ignore the sound of steps and breaking branches at his back. He's fairly certain at least a couple of the sisters are back there already, which means perhaps only half of them are in danger at the moment. He's grateful for the improved odds, and for the fact that Katya is already among those that could easily be counted safe. He's nearly halfway across the distance between the distant garden corner and the path that leads back to the party before he risks a glance, and sees the hint of a striped tail disappearing into the woods. His childhood friend is gone, and it is his duty to cover her escape.
The Vorpal Blade drew a deep breath, shaking himself from nose to tail and assuming an air of cool professionalism. He would stride into the party with a cool head, and hope that none of the sisters would be there to meet his eye. As he stepped into the well-lit glade, a white rabbit darted past his feet and disappeared into the dark. 'Was that Chai or Oolong?' He wondered, doing his best to pay no mind and therefore draw no attention to the bunny. All of the Princesses had similar companions, it could be any one of the six. But he hoped it was one of those most likely to have Katya's ear, she deserved to have her friends follow her to the new life.
"Is it time for tea and cake?" Smoke called in his rumbling voice, grinning sharply at the Knave as he strode into the party. "I'd hate to miss it... Her majesty has exquisite taste, after all."
Best to play as if nothing was amiss... And the rest would hopefully take care of itself.

"Ah, Smoke, my Captain of the Guard..." The Queen of Hearts noted with a velvety purr. "Step closer, my Vorpal Blade, I would talk with you awhile..."

Be safe, my friend.

Wordcounter: 342